The Fabulous Life Of Catherine Willows
by MadGeorge
Summary: A Case Turns Personal For Catherine, Chapter 5 Is Now Up. R&R SVP.
1. A Shrimp, As Guys Go

Disclaimer: I don't own ANYTHING about CSI. Yet. But when I'm famous (and I will be) I will.

A/N: This is about Cath. I have NO Fing idea what will happen yet. I will write as I go.

Edited by: Awesomepossum

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"Cath? Catherine? Wake up." Warrick was sitting next to a sleeping Catherine in the break room. He had come in to find Catherine effectively passed out on the couch. "Cath? WAKE UP!" Warrick was getting fed up now. Catherine's eyes fluttered a bit.

"What is it Warrick? How did you get into my house?" She blinked, yawned and sat up. Warrick rolled his eyes. "Look Cath, shift started half an hour ago, Grissom sent me to find you. We have a case to investigate. Come on, you never fall asleep on the job. Is everything okay?"

Catherine's eyes finally opened all the way. "Huh? No nothing's wrong, um… I'm fine Warrick. What's our case?"

Warrick smiled, his green eyes sparkling, "We're late, we'll talk in the car, let's go."

Warrick wrapped his arm around Catherine's shoulder. "Come on," he said, "let's go, we better boogie." He opened the door for her. "Your carriage awaits, milady."

Catherine laughed, "Alright alright, quit with the jokes, let's move."

Warrick climbed into the driver's seat. He started to drive. "Okay Cath, we have to head to the hospital; tonight we're doing a rape and home invasion. Our vic is 16, she refuses to talk to anyone male, so it's up to you to process her tonight. I'll be going to the house and you can meet me there when you're done." Catherine felt a lump in her throat, "Okay, no problem."

Catherine walked the long, antiseptic-smelling hallway to the room where the vic was being held. She turned in to the doorway, and was faced with a girl in a hospital robe sitting with her back toward Catherine. When Catherine entered, the girl stood up. She was taller then Cath, easily 5'10. She had long, fiery red hair pulled into a ponytail, and green eyes that rivalled Warrick's. The girl looked shy. She looked at Catherine and opened her mouth to speak. "Who are you?" she asked, suspiciously.

Catherine smiled, "Catherine Willows, CSI, I'm here to collect evidence from you."

The girl's eyes darkened. "What kind of evidence?"

"Well, first I'll need to do a rape kit..."

The girl interrupted, "No you don't, he wore a condom. It's probably still in my garbage can at home." Catherine looked surprised. "Well, I also need to examine the clothing you were wearing and take scrapings from under your nails. And, since we're going to be here for a little while, can I get your name?"

"Aeryn, thanks for asking." She extended a hand. "Now let's catch this bastard."

Aeryn sat on the hospital bed after Catherine had finished taking evidence. Now they were onto the interviewing. "So Aeryn, I know this is hard, but you need to tell me exactly what happened, starting with when you woke up."

Aeryn cocked her head, a tear rolling out of the corner of her eye. "Well, I think it was about 1:00am, and I woke up to a noise. God, you have no idea how hard this is."

Catherine looked down. "Trust me, I know."

Aeryn looked shocked. "You mean, you…"

Catherine attempted to smile. "Yeaaah. Anyway, enough about me, continue, please."

Aeryn squinted, trying to remember. "I looked over and there was this guy, standing by my bed; he was holding something… A scarf maybe?… and a knife. He told me that if I screamed, he would kill my family, he tied the scarf to my mouth. After that everything is a total blank, I just remember him on top of me. I was watching the clock, waiting for it to be over. That's how I remember the time. When he was done, he threw the condom out… I think… I did scratch him though, tried to make him go away, figured if he knew I could fight back he'd leave. He didn't go, but I guess you know that… he left through my bedroom window, probably the fire escape. Old apartments, you know? Hah, they're supposed to safer, but I guess not. That's it, I can't remember anything else."

Catherine reviewed her notes. "Okay, Aeryn, did you get a look at him? Anything, the clothes he was wearing? The colour of his hair or skin, eyes maybe?"

Aeryn looked thoughtful. "Yes. Yes, now that you mention it, he was shorter then me. I'm 5'10 and a half. He was a shrimp, as guys go... maybe your height, or an inch taller, tops. He had light hair, I think, in the dark it was hard to tell… and a big nose."

Catherine smiled. "Well, Aeryn, here's my number, if you remember anything else call me. But with what you've given us, plus the DNA from under your nails, we'll do all we can, okay?"

Catherine turned to leave, but Aeryn called after her, "Ms. Willows, when you were… you know… did they get him?"

Catherine turned to face her. "No… No they didn't." Aeryn narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Thanks."

Catherine left the hospital feeling very drained indeed. She remembered what it was like to be on the other end of that conversation. She called Warrick.

"Brown."

"Hey Warrick, it's Catherine, I'm finished at the hospital, sorry it took a little while longer than expected."

"No probs Cath, I'll come pick you up. It's pretty routine over here, but I could always use an extra pair of hands."

In the car, Warrick noticed that Catherine was unusually quiet. Warrick knew that rape cases stressed her out, but he never bothered to ask why. When they arrived, he turned to her and said, "I saved the vic's bedroom for you. I've been processing the fire escape, I got a few prints and some semen, my guess is that he may have been watching her for some time before. Her parents said that she would probably not want a guy picking through her room. It's all yours."

"Thanks Warrick, What are you gonna do while I'm in here?"

Warrick smiled. "I'll be questioning the parents, her sisters Finnea and Kassidy, and her little brother Fergus, see if any of them heard something. It may take a while, so take your time."

"Thanks Warrick, I will."

Catherine entered Aeryn's bedroom, which was a typical teenage girl's room. Two ajacent walls were bright blue, the other two were bright purple. A big vanity table sat against one wall, covered with every imaginable kind of makeup. The bed was in a state of disarray; Catherine checked it over thoroughly, finding hairs all over. Several of the hairs could easily be identified as Aeryn's but she bagged them anyway. She did find three ash blonde hairs with follicular tags, which she bagged. Since the perp had worn a condom, she didn't find and semen, but she was still holding out hope for blood, maybe from the scratches Aeryn had given him. Unfortunately, she found none.

Once Catherine had deemed the bed clean, she moved on to the garbage can. Aeryn had said she thought the rapist had thrown the condom out, and luckily she found it. She bagged it and checked over the rest of the room. She found a shoe print, approximately a men's size 11. She took a print and some photos. The room had given her all it could. There were no fingerprints, he had probably worn gloves, but Warrick said he had found prints outside, so the perp had probably taken them off, not realising they would look outside too. Catherine laughed, people never failed to surprise her.

She walked outside to meet Warrick. As she walked up, he was chatting with a little blonde boy of no more than 7 years of age. Next to him sat Aeryn's parents and two girls who were obviously identical twins, both with the red hair and green eyes she remembered from Aeryn.

Warrick stood. "Thanks Everybody, we understand that this is a traumatic time for all of you, but we'll do our best to catch whoever did this to Aeryn." Upon closer examination, Catherine realised that there were tears in the eyes of the whole family, not uncommon in families where such a crime had occurred; they all obviously felt that it was their fault for not noticing.

Back in the lab, Catherine examined the condom from the girl's trashcan. She ran the DNA through CODIS, but got no hits. The hairs were of no use except colour comparison now. Warrick interviewed a few guys from Aeryn's school, and in the end, he detained one. Brice Matthews, who fit Aeryn's description to a T. About 5'7, with dark blonde hair and a rather prominent nose. Catherine was given the task of interviewing him. They sat down in the interrogation room, his parents with him. Catherine started the questions.

"So Brice, do you know Aeryn MacWilliams?"

Brice shrugged, "yeah I know her, half the guys at our school know her. She's a slut. What happened to her?" Catherine looked him dead in the eyes. "She was raped two nights ago, and you fit the description of the perp perfectly. What size shoe do you wear?"

Brice looked back, obviously not a shy young man. "What do you care?"

"I found a shoe print in her bedroom. You're avoiding the question."

Brice shrugged, "Size 11." Catherine smiled. "Good, mind if I see the shoes you have on?"

Brice lifted his feet onto the table, "Look, if you think I did it, you're wrong, you got nothing on me, lady."

"Well Brice, that may be the case, but I'm gonna need your fingerprints. You want to rule yourself out don't you?"

"Sure, look, lady, take whatever you need."

Catherine ran the boy's prints against the ones from the fire escape, and she got a match. Warrick got a warrant for a DNA sample. When Brice came in the second time a few days later, his manner had shifted, he was now nervous and furtive. After running the sample he gave them, they got another match, Brice Matthews had raped Aeryn MacWilliams. This case had wrapped surprisingly quickly. Catherine broke the news to Brice. "Looks like we got you. But I have one question - why would you do that to her? What did she ever do to you?"

Brice sneered, "Lady, you don't get it, girls now, they parade around in these skimpy little outfits, but then get mad at us guys for looking. Aeryn was a total slut, she would do any guy who asked, except me. You know you're a loser when even the school hoe won't let you do her. I wanted to show her she wasn't all that." Catherine had never wanted to strike a child before, but this came pretty close.

When Catherine was done with Aeryn's case, she went to the break room and fell into a long, dreamless sleep on the couch. When she awoke, there was an envelope on her chest. She opened it. Inside was a card, and she read the message curiously.  
'Dear Ms. Willows, I'm sorry they never caught your guy, but thank you for catching mine.

A million thanks,

Aeryn MacWilliams.'

Catherine lay back, her head resting on the armrest. "I'm sorry, Aeryn, I'm sorry too."

TBC

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A/N: Wow, that went further then I thought it would. Um, R&R, Your responses will determine if I continue this story, so please R&R ASAP. 


	2. It's About My Mom

Disclaimer: CSI is not mine. Never has been, and probably never will be, at least, not until I'm famous.

A/N: Second chapter of "The Fabulous Life Of Catherine Willows". This is a new story, so please R&R.

Edited by the fantastic Awesomepossum.

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Aeryn's card lay on Catherine's kitchen table. Catherine had gone to bed, but Lindsey, as usual, sat in the family room and watched a bit of TV before school. "Man, mom usually watches with me for a bit, I wonder why she went straight to bed today," Lindsey thought to herself. She realised that her mom had gone to bed without making breakfast, and now she was hungry.

Lindsey entered the kitchen and pulled out some bread, moving a card out of the way in the process. She looked at it briefly before returning to her work. She put the bread in the toaster and waited. While she listened for the "pop," she picked up the card and looked at it. "Why would anyone give mom a card? It's not her birthday, or even any other special day..." She opened it and read the message written in a youth's handwriting inside. Lindsey didn't understand what it meant, but she knew better than to wake her mom before school. She made her toast, then took the card with her and went back to watching her program.

Catherine awoke to the sound of her alarm. Eight fifteen a.m. meant it was time to get dressed and take Linds to school. She got up and put on dark jeans and a red blouse, and went out to get Lindsey. She found her on the couch, watching TV, ready to go. Lindsey got up from the couch and walked over to her mother.

"Good morning mom, how did you sleep?"

Catherine smiled. "Hey baby, I slept well, thanks for not waking me."

"Um… Mom? What's this card for? Who's Aeryn MacWilliams?" Lindsey asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Catherine was aghast; she thought she had left that card in her purse. "Linds, honey, Aeryn was a victim in one of my cases, she gave me that card to thank me for solving it."

Lindsey was suspicious, but she let it drop. "Alright mom, we'll talk more in the car, but I'm late, let's go."

Once they were in the car, Lindsey brought up the card again. "Mom, what did she mean that she was sorry they didn't catch 'your guy'? What kind of case was this? Answer me, mom!"

Catherine bent her head a bit; she knew she had to tell the truth. "It…it was a rape case, Lindsey."

Lindsey stared at her mother, shocked. "But mom, you never… No… you weren't…"

Catherine looked up, "We're here. You better go inside Linds, you're late."

Lindsey couldn't think of anything else all day, her mom had never told her anything about a rape. Maybe she had thought that Lindsey couldn't handle it, or maybe this Aeryn girl had it messed up. There was only one thing she could think to do; she had to talk to her mom's friends. Maybe they could tell her the truth, since her mom was obviously in no shape to do so.

When her school let out that day, Lindsey took the bus home as usual. When she arrived at home, her mother was sleeping again. Lindsey went in and woke her up, shaking her gently.

"Mom? Sorry to wake you, but I was wondering – how are you feeling? How long have you been sleeping?"

Catherine gave a feeble smile. "I'm feeling better honey, thanks. I've been sleeping all day, I was really tired. But I think I can get up now."

Lindsey decided she needed to ask, after all it was a Friday night and she didn't have school the next day. "Mom? Can I go to work with you? I haven't seen Sara, Nick, Warrick, Grissom, or Greg in ages! I don't have school tomorrow, so can I, please?"

Catherine sighed. "Alright Linds, but you have to promise to behave, okay? Fridays are always busy, so you might be spending most of your time in the break room, bring a few books."

Lindsey smiled and hugged her mother. "Thanks, Mom!"

That night, Catherine and Lindsey drove to the lab. Once they arrived, Catherine went to get her assignment for the evening and Lindsey waited for her. How was she going to go about this without her mom finding out? When she knew that Catherine had gone off to work a possible suicide at the Bellagio, Lindsey went to find Grissom. He was continuing work on a case from the week before, and so he would be in the lab all night. She knocked on the door of his office. He didn't answer, so she knocked louder.

"Come in!" Grissom called from the other side of the door.

Lindsey tentatively entered the office. "Mr. Grissom? I need to speak to you…"

Grissom looked up. "Oh! Hey Lindsey, haven't seen you for ages, you're getting bigger every day! What do you need to talk about?"

Lindsey looked at him, nervously. "Can I sit?"

"Of course," Grissom smiled, as he gestured to the seat in front of his desk. Lindsey sat down in the proffered chair.

"Well, it's really important, so you have to promise to tell me the truth, okay?" Lindsey asked, fidgeting.

Grissom smiled down at her, reassuringly. "Okay Linds, I promise."

Lindsey smiled back, but quickly changed her expression to one of total seriousness. "It's about my mom. What do you know about her? Like, before she worked here."

Grissom looked at her quizzically. "Well, Lindsey," he said, "you know that your mother used to be a dancer, but besides that I don't know all that much about her."

"No!" Lindsey cried. "Did you ever hear about anything that may have happened to her? Think hard!"

Grissom thought for a minute, his brow furrowed. He sighed and glanced at Lindsey again. "Look, Linds, I have no idea what you're talking about, she's never mentioned anything. What's this about?"

Lindsey looked down at her shoes. "Mr. Grissom, I think that she may have been raped."

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A/N: Well, that's chapter two done, I thought I'd do something more interesting then having someone ask Cath, so I figured I'd have Lindsey find out somehow. Please R&R, your reviews will determine how much more I write.


	3. I'm Inclined To Agree

Disclaimer: blah blah blah, I don't own CSI. Neither do you, too bad, so sad, get over it.

A/N: This chap is gonna be tough to write, so hopefully it isn't complete bollocks.

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Grissom stared straight at Lindsey, shocked at what she had said. "Lindsey, that's nothing to joke about. Are you positive? We don't want to jump to conclusions…"

Lindsey looked up, locking eyes with Grissom. " I saw a card, I didn't understand it, but the way she explained it, I'm sure of it."

Grissom thought for a minute, "card? What card?"

Lindsey squinted her eyes, trying to remember exactly what it said. " it said something like, "I'm sorry they didn't get your guy, but thanks for getting mine", I asked who it was from, she said it was from a girl whose case she solved. I asked what kind of case, and she said it was a rape case, then changed the subject. She hasn't brought it up again, I think she thinks I forgot."

Grissom's brow furrowed, Catherine had always been a little uneasy on rape cases, but he had always chalked it up to hormones, he had never been good at understanding women. "Lindsey, was the girl's name Aeryn MacWilliams? She was the last rape case Cath… I mean, your mom, was assigned to. But you do know that that card could have meant anything, I mean, it doesn't really raise any red flags."

Lindsey rolled her eyes, even at twelve years old, she knew that sometimes, men were a bit slow on the uptake. "Mr. Grissom, the card said, "I'm sorry they didn't get your guy." It screams that the same thing happened to my mom! But to answer your question, yes, that was her name, I remember because it's so unusual. Mr. Grissom, I know that you are my mom's friend, but you have to believe me, I'm positive."

Outside, Greg's mouth nearly hit the floor, he'd been right behind Lindsey on the way to Grissom's office. He figured she was just going to say hi, but when he overheard what she was saying, he couldn't help but listen. "Holy crap." He thought to himself. "What if Lindsey's right? Catherine is always so cool and collected, why would she keep something like this a secret?"

Grissom looked at Lindsey again, almost expecting her to yell, "kidding!" But he had no such luck. She just kept staring at him with those eyes, Catherine's eyes.

Lindsey finally broke the silence, "Mr. Grissom, do you think my mom will be mad at me for this? I just don't want her to be sad. All she does lately is sleep, I just want her to be mom again."

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Several hours later, Catherine was in the break room; she had needed to get some evidence to the lab. While she waited for the results, she had decided to get a cup of coffee. She noticed Greg had brewed a pot of his famous Blue Hawaiian, so she decided to help herself to a bit. Sure Greg would hit the roof, but he'd get over it.

Behind her, a door creaked open, she turned around, and speak of the devil, Greg walked in, he poured himself a cup of coffee and turned to Catherine, she noticed how white his face was, like he'd seen a ghost. It worried Catherine for a second.

"Is that my coffee?" Greg asked, his eyes wide.

"Oh, yeah, it's good." Catherine looked straight at Greg.

"Yeah, good." Greg had a pained look on his face. He turned on his heel and walked out. That was unlike him, he was sensitive about his coffee, it was expensive, after all.

Catherine rose from her chair, and downing the last of her coffee lay down on the couch, she knew that caffeine would keep her awake, but there was no harm in resting. Lindsey was playing around somewhere with Sara, apparently Sara'd gotten some new computer game, she had always been good at keeping Lindsey occupied. Contrary to popular belief, Catherine had always believed Sara would be a good mother.

Grissom left his office to go and find Catherine, he'd seen her walk by earlier, but he had needed more time to reflect on what Lindsey had told him. He was scared to ask Catherine about it, after all, if it turned out to be a big misunderstanding, he would be the one who looked like an idiot.

He walked slowly from his office, he knew she had taken samples to the lab, she was probably waiting for the results in the break room. He made his way there, running over what he needed to say in his mind. He finally reached the break room, it had felt like walking the green mile, a slow walk leading to certain death. He looked in the window, Catherine was indeed inside, lying down on the couch, not asleep, her eyes were open. He took a deep breath, and opened the door.

"Catherine, we need to talk, it's… important." Grissom's voice was shaky, like he was about to cry.

Catherine sat up, using her elbows to prop herself up, "sure Gil, problem?" Grissom studied her face, she was obviously thinking about something.

"Actually, yes. I don't know where to begin, really… I never thought I'd be in this position. I spoke to your daughter, Lindsey told me that she had some… Suspicions, about you." Grissom's every word was calculated.

Catherine interrupted, "wait… You talked to Lindsey? What did she say?"

Grissom wiped his forehead, "I was just getting to that. She told me about something she saw, a card, from that 16-year-old rape victim, Aeryn MacWilliams. She was very disturbed, very worried. She told me that the card, to quote her directly, "screams that the same thing happened to my mom." And from everything she told me, I'm inclined to agree. Catherine, is there anything you want to tell me?"

Catherine sighed. It was all catching up with her, but then again, it had only been a matter of time. She put her head in her hands. "Would you think any less of me if I said yes?" She felt a tear roll down her cheek and hit her jeans, leaving a mark on the fabric.

Grissom leaned over and put his hand on her shoulder, "Catherine, I respect you, both as a colleague, and as a friend. Whatever you say will not alter my feelings about you at all. You can trust me."

Catherine looked up at him. He noticed her eyes again, they were just like Lindsey's, bright, but sad at the same time. She opened and closed her mouth several times before finally speaking, as if she couldn't find the right words. "Alright, I didn't think I'd talk about this for a long time. In some ways, I guess I was right. This story is hard to tell, so… Bear with me. It was a long time ago, I was 19…"

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A/N: Huzzah for cliffhangers! I lowered the rating here, I decided that I would leave descriptions minimal. R&R ASAP, this will definitely be continuing, but I want feedback all the same.


	4. That's What Friends Are For

Disclaimer: I Own NADA!

A/N: I promise, NO cliff-hangers this time, I'll be nice.

Edited by Awesomepossum, who would like to add that George here rocks my socks!

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Grissom took Catherine's hand, but said nothing; sometimes, he knew it was better to just listen.

Catherine let out a little whimper. "I was 19, and it was just before Christmas. I was out walking with a friend – we had just gone on a double date – when she said goodbye outside my apartment. Nothing seemed unusual." Her voice cracked. Grissom gripped her hand tighter. Catherine looked at him gratefully.

"I headed up to my apartment, and there was a man in the hallway. Looking back, I should have noticed him, but I was young and stupid. He came over and grabbed me." Catherine stopped speaking and hesitated; she was obviously fighting to speak every word.

"He raped me, right there in that dark hallway. I was terrified he would kill me. When he left…" She paused again, and put her head in the crook of Grissom's neck. "He… He wished me a Merry Christmas…" She let out a loud sob. Grissom was totally shocked, Lindsey had been right. He let out a sigh.

"They never got him, did they Catherine?" He asked.

Catherine looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, she blinked, and they all fell down her cheeks. "No. They never did."

Grissom let go of her hand and stood up. He didn't know how to react. He turned to face Catherine, but she had crumpled onto the couch and lay in a heap. He went to his office and brought back the blanket he kept there, and wrapped it around the quivering Catherine. He sat back down and put her head in his lap. He needed to think. He had assigned Catherine to so many rape cases over the years because he knew how Sara became so undone. If he'd only known, he never would have put either woman in that position.

Grissom rose to his feet a second time. Right now, Catherine needed time and sleep. He got on his knees next to Catherine and whispered gently, "Cath, you need to get some sleep, do you want me to stay with you?"

Catherine opened a bloodshot and teary eye. "No thanks," she sniffled, "you need to get back to work."

Grissom stroked her hair. "Okay Cath, I'm right down the hallway if you need me." She gave a feeble smile.

Grissom turned and slowly walked out.

"Grissom?" Catherine called. "Thanks. This means a lot."

Grissom turned to face her and smiled. "That's what friends are for."

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Catherine lay on the couch in the break room. She needed to sleep, but somehow it was the last thing she wanted to do.

_Yesterday I had a dream_

_That I could fly_

_To the sky._

She felt a tear roll down her cheek.

_Then I woke up in a sweat_

_Not dead yet_

_But on the ground._

She remembered that day so well, and even after trying to forget for so long, she couldn't get it out of her head. She remembered the man's face; his eyes had been the most evil she had ever seen.

_A little girl was early told_

_That life was time_

_And time was gold_

_She took a little every day_

'_Til it went away_

_And she was old_

_And she cried 'cause her gold was gone_

And she cried 'cause she was all alone 

Catherine shut her eyes, she shouldn't cry over this any more, and yet she couldn't stop crying. If she cried, he would win, but if she didn't it was like she wasn't acknowledging that it happened, and he would still win.

_She's calling to you in the dark_

_Crying never more shall we part_ _Never more_

_Shall we part._

Catherine woke up and looked around. She couldn't see the time. "How long was I out for?" She wondered.

All of a sudden, she heard a noise and looked over. Lindsey was seated at the table, facing her mother, and she too had tears in her eyes.

"Mom, what happened to you? Was I right?" She looked at her mother. "Oh my gosh, I was right wasn't I? Who would do that to you?"

Catherine felt another tear roll down her cheek. "That's the problem sweetie, I never found out."

_And all those words I never said_ _Gently bled_

_From my mouth_

Lindsey stood up and walked over to her mom. "Mom, it's okay. I still love you. You're still a good person. You're gonna be okay, we're gonna be okay. It's over."

_And I am ready to embrace_

_This place_

_Where I belong_

Lindsey lay down beside her mom and cuddled her close.

_I'm afraid, but I need to love_ _If I don't, I'm gonna flood_ _And I'm calling to you in the dark_

_Crying never more shall we part_

_Never more_

_Shall we part._

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A/N: I know it was short, but if I'd made it any longer it would have lost its feeling. This is my favourite chap so far, hopefully you guys liked it too, R&R ASAP. I thought adding this beautiful song would help show how Catherine feels (or how I imagine she would have felt.) I may use another song by the same artist for the next chap (but if I told you the name, I'd ruin the surprise), if there is one, once again, your reviews determine how far this goes.

Disclaimer: The lyrics I used here are from "Lorraine's Song" By Theresa Andersson. I don't own them. But I love them. Buy her album "Shine," it rocks.


	5. Staring In The Mirror

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING. Not CSI, Not the lyrics. NOTHING. Did you get that?

A/N: This chap MAY contain a little bit of CG, I'm still undecided. But it will have lyrics from Theresa Andersson's song "Don't Disturb".

Awesomepossum edited, has she, as like Yoda speak she. Apparently.

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Catherine stood in the bathroom a few days later. She shed her clothes and looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't look like herself. Over the past few weeks, she had barely eaten anything. She had lain awake at night, because whenever she fell asleep, those eyes, his eyes, haunted her dreams.

Today 

_I don't feel like doing anything_

_I don't answer when the phone rings_

_And I don't wanna be disturbed_

Catherine stared at her body. Her skin had taken on an almost grey tone, there were puffy bags under her eyes, and her hair was lank and dull. She was barely a shade of the beautiful, strong woman she usually was. She leaned in and blew on the mirror, her hot breath causing it to fog up. She lifted a finger and wrote on the fog. S-L-U-T. The phone rang in the distance. She didn't pick it up. She heard the beep that meant someone was leaving a message. She waited for them to finish. She put on her robe and entered her message code. She heard a familiar voice.

"Catherine? Um… Hi. It's Gil. Uh…Grissom. I wanted to know how you're doing. I guess you're still asleep. I wanted to let you know that we all love you just the way you are. Don't do anything you'll regret later. I hope you're okay. Please come back to us. We miss you. Please Catherine. Call me back. We all want to speak to you. Bye Cath. We love you."

Right now 

_I don't have a lot of energy_

_And I don't want your sympathy_

_All I need is the truth you overheard._

Catherine listened to Grissom's message five times. When he said "we love you," it sounded a lot like "I love you". She knew she couldn't hide from this forever. But at the same time, she felt bad. Grissom never showed any emotion, but in that message, she could have sworn she heard something there. Something she wasn't sure what to think of.

You're lost 

_And tied up in the make-believe_

_I get caught up in the web you weave_

_But I don't wanna say it's your fault._

She stood up and went back into the bathroom. She let her robe fall from her shoulders and stepped into her shower. She turned the water up until it was almost burning her. She started to wash herself, rubbing with the sponge until her skin was almost raw. Even though it had been many years before, she needed to get the feeling off her body, out of her hair, out of her mind. She closed her eyes and stood in the stream of water. Her mind went blank; she stood there for what felt like years, just letting the water wash away all the bad memories.

Catherine got out of the shower and dried herself off. She sat on the edge of the bathtub and thought about Grissom's message. She walked into her living room and picked up the phone, and listened to the message twice more before picking up the phone and dialling.

"Hello, you've reached the home of Gilbert Grissom. I'm unavailable at the moment, but please leave a brief message and I will return your call at my earliest possible convenience."

Catherine almost laughed. Typical Grissom, he had used the instructions that came with the machine. The message wasn't personal, it was just… Grissom.

"Hey Gil, it's Catherine. I got your message… I just wanted to say thank you. See you at work. I wouldn't miss it for the world. We… we love you too."

Catherine's voice cracked as she finished the message. She hung up the phone and lay down on her couch.

Right now 

_All the cards are on the table_

_If I'm willing are you able_

_To be honest once and for all_

_With me?_

Several hours later, Catherine pulled into the lab parking lot. She walked in through the doors. Inside, she noticed people staring at her as she walked through the halls.

"This is like high school," Catherine thought to herself. "Gossip travels really quickly."

She turned a corner, and since she hadn't been looking where she was going, she bumped into Ecklie. He muttered an apology, surprisingly, and blustered by, not making eye contact. She was surprised, he had been really uncomfortable. It was almost amusing.

She walked the familiar route to get her assignment; she assumed she would be continuing her work on the case from before. But she knew better than to make assumptions, this was Vegas… anything could happen.

Catherine looked at her watch and quickened her pace; she was late. She sped up to a jog. Grissom hated lateness. She rounded the corner into the break room where the rest of the team was gathered around the table, deep in conversation. The room went totally silent as she entered.

"No hellos? Okay, I'll start. Hi Catherine, how are you doing? Good? Well, we're glad you're feeling better." Catherine smiled. "Now, would that have been so hard?"

Her questions were met with more silence.

"Okay, I give up. What's with you guys today?" Catherine was beginning to become worried. The team never acted this awkward around her.

Sara spoke first. "Sorry Cath. It's just good to see you up and running again. After what happened, we were really worried. We missed you."

Nick spoke next. "You know, everyone has had problems in their lives, but you had an awful experience. We were worried that you were having trouble dealing." He stood and enveloped her in a hug. "I'm glad… We're all glad, that you're okay."

Warrick stood up and replaced Nick as he pulled away from Catherine.

"We really want to make sure you're okay," his deep voice rumbled. "You went through a lot."

Soon, the whole team was in a big clump in the middle of the room, taking turns hugging Catherine and paying their condolences. Catherine was touched that they would be so worried about her.

Grissom walked to the break room. He knew he was late, but he had been listening to Catherine's message and interpreting it, and every meaning he could derive from it. He hoped she meant what he thought she did. He walked into the room and was greeted with an odd sight. Sara, Warrick, Greg and Nick were in a big group hug.

"What's going on here?" he inquired, incredulously.

"Oh, hey Griss," Warrick said, "we were telling Catherine here how much we missed her." The group parted to reveal a haggard looking Catherine.

"Hi, Gil. How are you doing?" Catherine turned as red as her hair. Grissom smiled.

"I'm doing well. Let's get down to business, shall we?" He smirked.

They all sat down around the table. Grissom smiled and started to speak.

"Tonight, we welcome back one of our own. Catherine Willows here has been off for a few days. By now, you all know why, and I don't feel the need to explain it any further. I'm sure we all understand personal boundaries and the need to respect them, so I don't expect any problems."

Catherine let out a sigh. Grissom continued.

"The other week, a case brought some unwanted memories to the surface for Catherine, and so emotions were raw. She would probably, knowing Catherine, have let it all pass had it not been for Lindsey's suspicions which were brought to my attention. For that, I am very thankful. Lindsey was smart enough to realise that there was something her mother was hiding.

"She did the right thing. When I found out that Lindsey's fears were correct, I was very worried about Catherine. She was forced to confront feelings she had buried deep inside her. I was scared that she might do something to herself. But thankfully, I was wrong."

He smiled and looked at the team. "Yes, I'm admitting it, I was wrong. Catherine is a strong woman. She dealt with those feelings, and now she's back with us, stronger than ever. Welcome back, Catherine." He began to clap. The whole team soon joined in the applause. Catherine blushed deep scarlet. Grissom signalled for the applause to end and smiled at her. She stood up and hugged him.

Grissom leaned into her ear and whispered, "We love you Catherine."

Catherine pulled away, gave him a grin, "I… We love you too."

Today 

_I don't feel like doing anything_

_I don't answer when the phone rings_

_And I don't wanna be disturbed._

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A/N: Like it? I like this one. Awesomepossum adds: me too! Should this be the end? Or should I explore this? R&R, your reviews will determine what happens next!


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